David Bronstein was a chess grandmaster and one of the strongest players in the world. In this sharp and provocative essay, the authors explain their concern regarding the increasingly sport oriented nature of chess, in which the result is all-important, to the detriment of chess as an art form and as an element of culture.

A Short History of Chess With Chapters by B. Goulding Brown and H. Golombek

Catalog Code: B0297IS

Among the papers left by the late H. J. R. Murray was the typeset of A Short History of Chess which he wrote in 1917. This was not an abridgment of the standard work he had published some years earlier but a new and original brief history of the game from its beginnings until 1866. It has been brought up to date by Mr. B. Goulding Brown and Mr. Harry Golombek, covering the periods from 1866 to almost the present including the modern World Championships.

Whenever any grandmaster of chess is asked the question “Which chess book helped you the most” or “To what book do you most attribute your success”, the answer is almost always the same. All or almost all grandmasters say there is one book that stands above all others in leading to success over the board. The name of that book is: International Grandmasters Chess Tournament Zurich 1953 by David Bronstein, which is reprinted here under the more commonly used title of World Chess Championship Candidates Tournament Zurich 1953.

The Personality of Chess Inside the Spirit and Body of the World's Greatest Game

Catalog Code: B0283IS

Once the game of kings, chess now intrigues, fascinates, and experates millions of enthusiasts from all walks of life. What is it in the nature of this unique game that has appealed to so many people for so many centuries? What does this game mean for those who play in, and why does it interest even those who do not? Here are the answers in brilliant book that explains chess as a social, psychological, historical and dramatic phenomenon. Filled with unexpected humor and written in a language anyone can understand, The Personality of chess offers a vast amount of little known facts about the game, some in refutation of popular misconceptions, others boldly treading unexplored areas.

The Fireside Book of Chess A Multitude of Stories, Games, Articles, Quizzes & Anecdotes For All Devotees Of The Royal Game

Catalog Code: B0203IS

The Fireside Book of Chess is a huge grab bag, accenting the lighter side of chess. It is a reservoir into which the reader can dip to provide countless hours of relaxation and entertainment. Since it makes few demands on the reader, it is a virtually perfect gift for Christmas or any other time of the year. Messers. Chernev and Reinfeld have stuffed their grab bag with golden nuggets.

In this book, the author, legendary Russian grandmaster Yuri Averbakh, presents a well-researched and documented theory about the origins, development and spread of this immensely popular game. In addition, over three dozen splendid color plates - presented on coated stock making the images suitable for framing - supplement his historical analysis.

This book discusses the first Russian grandmasters and prominent masters, such luminaries as Mikhail Chigorin, Alexander Alekhine, Mikhail Botvinnik, Vasily Smyslov, Paul Keres, Alexander Kotov, Boris Spassky, Mikhail Tal, Alexander Tolush and many others. Also included is a section dedicated to the women players.

The Soviet Chess School has biographies and lots of games and pictures of players such as Kasparov, Karpov and Spassky whereas these players are not mentioned in the 32-years earlier work The Soviet School of Chess.

CLEARANCE - The KGB Plays Chess The Soviet Secret Police and the Fight for the World Chess Crown

Catalog Code: B0044RE

The KGB Plays Chess is a unique book. For the first time it opens to us some of the most secret pages of the history of chess. The battles about which you will read in this book are not between chess masters sitting at the chess board, but between the powerful Soviet secret police, known as the KGB, on the one hand, and several brave individuals, on the other.